Text Size

IMMIGRATION ALLIES FIND MOMENTUM ON THEIR SIDE – Jonathan Weisman writes for the New York Times: “Six years ago this month, re-election campaign looming, Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana joined 15 other Democrats to shoot down an overhaul of the immigration system, which she said encouraged ‘illegal behavior’ with ‘a generous path to citizenship’ for ‘people who have broken the law to enter this country.’ Ms. Landrieu’s next campaign is already upon her. Republicans have made her a prime target in their quest to retake the Senate in 2014. But on immigration, her tone has changed markedly, as has what she called her own internal political compass. ‘Sometimes it just takes awhile for issues to marinate,’ Ms. Landrieu said, indicating she is a likely ‘yes’ on a Senate bill offering a route to citizenship for 11 million people in the country illegally. ‘You can kind of feel like the public is ready to do this, and wants to do it.’

-- “As the Senate prepares a pivotal vote on Monday to end debate on a border-security amendment that is expected to bring some reluctant Republicans on board, Ms. Landrieu’s about-face reflects a new political reality in which conservative Democrats like her are uniting with moderate Republicans to help carry the legislation across the finish line. If the amendment goes forward on Monday with more than the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster, the bill is almost certain to pass, probably by Thursday or Friday. In 2007, a bipartisan, left-right coalition brought down an immigration bill that had the backing of the Senate’s most senior leaders, as well as the White House. … But advocates of the newest version of a comprehensive immigration overhaul say the large Democratic defections that helped sink the last bill will be minimized this time — in part because of changes to the legislation and in part because the bill’s time has finally come as far as Democrats are concerned.” http://nyti.ms/10MFOVV

-- THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is launching a seven-figure radio and TV ad buy today in support of immigration reform. POLITICO’s Maggie Haberman has the story: http://politi.co/11yJc5a

LAST STAND FOR ‘GANG OF FIVE’ FOES – Burgess Everett writes for the hometown paper: “They represent conservatives’ last stand in the Senate. To a small band of Republican senators, the problems with the Senate’s immigration reform bill could fill an encyclopedia. To them, the bill is too long, it hasn’t been read, it’s been negotiated in secret, it’s filled with loopholes, it doesn’t do what Gang of Eight talking points promised and Republicans haven’t been given the chance to substantively alter it. They’ve compared it to Obamacare, warning that a ‘cornhusker kickback’ is buried somewhere deep inside the border security language. Senate enemies of immigration reform are rapidly dwindling after Republican Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee struck a border security deal last week that may well push the overall bill over the finish line in the upper chamber. But they are still making a lot of noise …

-- “A stubborn anti-reform ‘Gang of Five’ has been the loudest opponents: Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, David Vitter of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma. These loud-and-proud foes are bucking much of the mainstream GOP establishment — including Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly — which is now rushing en masse to embrace the bill.” http://politi.co/134GkA6

-- SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY.), a possible 2016 presidential contender, will not back the immigration bill because the border security provisions don’t go far enough, he said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” http://bit.ly/10MVKYf

A TALE OF TWO JEFFS – Ed O’Keefe writes on A1 of the Washington Post: “One easy way to grasp the challenges facing the Republican Party on immigration reform is to map the political distance between two GOP senators who have been working diligently on the package that the Senate is expected to vote on this week. The problems begin with the fact that they have not been working together. There’s Jeff Flake of Arizona, a chiseled-faced, 50-year-old freshman whose border-state upbringing made him a natural fit for the ‘Gang of Eight,’ the bipartisan group of senators that drafted the bill under consideration. And there’s Jeff Sessions, 66, of Alabama, a wily Senate veteran and former federal prosecutor with a thick Southern drawl, who in recent months has devoted his considerable legislative and legal talents to dismantling the bill, bit by bit by bit.

-- “In many ways, the two men represent the two Republican parties that emerged from the GOP’s dismal showing at the polls in 2012: one eager to modernize and grow, the other steadfast in its conservative principles, determined not to be coerced into politically expedient compromise. The side that prevails on immigration will probably be the dominant face of the GOP going into next year’s midterm elections and the 2016 presidential campaign.” http://wapo.st/11AmU35

-- POLITICO’s Seung Min Kim poses five key questions for immigration reform for the week ahead:1. How many Republicans will back the bill and will it get 70 votes? 2. Will gay couples be covered by the bill, especially with the Supreme Court expected to rule this week on whether the Defense of Marriage Act is constitutional. 3. Has the bill become too bloated?4. How far can reform advocates be pushed on tougher border security?5. Will immigration reform collapse in the House? http://politi.co/134GeIs

HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES SOCIAL MEDIA OFFENSIVE ON STUDENT LOANS – With student loan interest rates set to double in exactly one week, House Republicans are taking to social media to get their message out:

-- They’ll release a Flipboard titled “Student Loans: Action vs. Political Games,” marking the first time any entity on Capitol Hill will utilize popular social media platform. You can view the Flipboard here: http://flip.it/54Vkv

-- A new video contrasting what Republicans say is the action in the House versus the gamesmanship in the Senate will be released to youth and millennial blogs and college newspapers. Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/c14iIRddzw8

TRICKY TIMING FOR SENATE STUDENT LOAN DEAL – Bernie Becker reports for The Hill: “[W]hile House Republicans have already passed a plan, the Senate is consumed with trying to finish off a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws before leaving for the July 4th recess. President Obama, meanwhile, is leaving Washington on Wednesday for a weeklong trip to Africa. Both the White House and top lawmakers on Capitol Hill are hopeful a deal can be reached. Congress could also extend the rates — which would impact new loans for incoming students — retroactively, if need be. A bipartisan quartet of lawmakers — Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) — has been working on a compromise that could assuage concerns on both the right and the left.” http://bit.ly/19k7Sn1

HISTORIC WEEK FOR SUPREME COURT – Supreme Court expert Tom Goldstein on last night’s NBC Nightly News: “I can't remember a week that is as historic as the one we're about to see where you have at least three or four decisions that will lead the evening news and will be remembered for decades or even centuries.”

-- NBC’s Justice correspondent Pete Williams: “Two gay couples are challenging California’s Proposition 8, passed in 2008 banning same-sex marriage there. The court will also rule on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, passed by Congress in 1996. It blocks the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages in the states where they're legal. In the three months since the court heard the case, legislatures in three more states have agreed to permit, bringing the total to 12 states plus Washington, D.C. No way to know how that will influence the justices. The court will decide the fate of the most important civil rights law ever passed. It requires states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval before changing how they conduct elections. Selby County, south of Birmingham, says the law is so outdated it's no longer constitutional. … Another case challenges affirmative action in school admissions.” http://nbcnews.to/144isJp

WHY GABRIEL GOMEZ WON’T PULL OFF SCOTT BROWN REPEAT – POLITICO’s James Hohmann explains: “If nothing else, the five-month campaign for the Massachusetts Senate seat has clarified this: Republican Gabriel Gomez is no Scott Brown. Memories of Brown’s stunning 2010 victory led to unrealistic expectations that another GOP upset was possible in reliably blue Massachusetts. But Democratic Rep. Ed Markey heads into Tuesday’s special election the overwhelming favorite to succeed John Kerry — and it might not even be close. Not a single poll has shown Gomez ahead since he prevailed in a three-way April primary. A New England College poll and the Boston Herald both put Markey up 20 percentage points going into the final weekend. Gomez’s own internal polls had him down 7 points. Gomez’s aides are still predicting a shocker, saying low-turnout special elections are notoriously unpredictable. But Democrats have outspent Republicans by about 2-to-1 on television, according to one media analysis, which only adds to a built-in Democratic advantage.” http://politi.co/11UL8QZ

-- CALIFORNIA VINTNER JOHN JORDAN revealed himself as the super PAC donor who spent more than $1.2 million to help Gomez’s campaign, the WSJ’s Neil King Jr. reports. http://on.wsj.com/14kmw6Z

**A message from POWERJOBS: New positions on our radar this week: Public Policy Development Principal at American Cancer Society, Vice President of Political Affairs & Policy at Human Rights Campaign, and Communications & Strategy Director at U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Apply for these jobs and more at POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU!**

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, JUNE 24, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @jarowley and @clairesgould.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The House is out today. The Senate meets at noon, and is expected to vote to end debate on the Corker-Hoeven border-security amendment to the immigration reform bill.

At 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the National Press Club, the George W. Bush Institute and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce launch “Growth and Immigration: A Handbook of Vital Immigration and Economic Growth Statistics.” The book highlights the economic and demographic impacts of immigrants in the United States. Chamber President and CEO Javier Palomarez and Bush Institute Executive Director, Ambassador Jim Glassman, will be on hand.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN -- Wall Street Journal, A1 3-col., “Snowden on the Run: Leaker Flees Hong Kong for Moscow, Asks Ecuador for Asylum,” By Devlin Barrett in Washington, D.C., and Te-Ping Chen in Hong Kong: A global cat-and-mouse game involving the admitted leaker of National Security Agency secrets exploded into a diplomatic scramble, as U.S. authorities sought to catch Edward Snowden before he reached his next goal: political asylum in Ecuador. Mr. Snowden's unexpected Sunday flight to Moscow from Hong Kong exposed the apparent limits of America's diplomatic and intelligence-gathering reach. At a time when Mr. Snowden has been the subject of intense interest from U.S. authorities, they were unable to prevent his departure from a jurisdiction generally viewed as friendly to U.S. extradition requests.

-- “Washington had requested Hong Kong arrest Mr. Snowden in anticipation of extradition, and officials including Attorney General Eric Holder had reached out to authorities in the city to urge that request be honored, a U.S. official said. But it wasn't until Mr. Snowden had left for Moscow that the Americans had found out that Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, viewed their request as "insufficient," the official said. According to people familiar with the case, the U.S. never asked Interpol, the international police agency, to issue a ‘red notice’ for Mr. Snowden, which would have triggered alerts at airports to delay, if not stop outright, his departure.” http://on.wsj.com/19jT6wB

-- SCHUMER SLAMS PUTIN OVER SNOWDEN – “Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of ‘sticking a finger’ in the eye of the U.S. by allowing Edward Snowden to land in Moscow,” POLITICO’s Katie Glueck reports. “‘The bottom line is very simple: allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States, whether it is Syria, Iran and now of course with Snowden,’ Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on CNN's ‘State of the Union.’ ‘That's not how allies should treat each other and I think it will have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship.’” http://politi.co/1cdIf3x

STOCKMAN STAFFER DECLARES HIMSELF UNDISPUTED FOOD STAMP CHALLENGE CHAMP -- A news release from Rep. Steve Stockman’s office: “After going a full week on less than the $4.50 a day in food laid out by the ‘SNAP Challenge,’ Donny Ferguson, communications director and agriculture policy advisor to Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX 36,) is declaring himself ‘The Undisputed 2013 SNAP Challenge Champion.’ ‘Nothing tastes better than debunking liberalism. I proved there’s still lots of room to cut unsustainable welfare spending and still have filling, delicious meals. The SNAP Challenge is a great tool to show how much savings we can find in the budget,’ said Ferguson. ‘The only thing Democrats proved is they can’t budget or control spending. Their only defense is to trash the SNAP Challenge as an unrealistic publicity stunt. …

-- “Without a shopping list or coupons, over the week Ferguson fed himself filling meals for seven days for a final total of around $26.40, less than the $31.50 weekly budget issued by the SNAP Challenge and less than his original $27.58 budget. He gained only one pound and lost one percent body fat. ‘I cut the SNAP Challenge Budget by about 16 percent without the hysterics of overdramatic political activists agitating for more government control,’ said Ferguson. ‘The proposed Food Stamp Bill didn’t cut spending, it dramatically increases it. Overall spending on food stamps would have skyrocketed well beyond the increased rates of suffering we’ve seen under Obama.’” Full release here: http://bit.ly/18asPja (h/t: Seung Min Kim)

REPUBLICANS BLAME BOEHNER FOR GOP’S FOOT-IN-MOUTH DISEASE – Chris Frates writes for National Journal: “Fetal masturbation. Rape doesn’t usually result in pregnancy. Grade schoolers should be taught traditional gender roles. A handful of House Republican lawmakers seem unable to stop making headlines on abortion and gay marriage. And Republicans on and off the Hill know who’s to blame. House Speaker John Boehner. GOP lawmakers, strategists, and insiders say Boehner and House leadership are enabling foot-in-mouth disease by allowing divisive social issues to reemerge at a time when Republicans were finally winning the daily messaging war against a controversy-plagued White House. Republicans say they want leadership to start calling out the fringers, distancing the party from the lawmakers’ remarks. And they want leaders to stop bowing to interest-group pressure to put risky social issues on the House floor.

-- “‘Somebody, somewhere has got to strengthen their spine, and they have to man up and say to the groups, ‘These are not the kinds of conversations that are going to win elections and keep us in the majority,’’ said Lisa Camooso Miller, a former House GOP leadership aide.” http://bit.ly/11IfGqk

THE ROGERS REPORT: HOW THE FARM BILL FAILED – “Among the 62 House Republicans voting against the farm bill last week, all but one had voted minutes before for a controversial food stamp amendment that undercut Democratic support for passage. This is what passes for ‘growing the vote’ these days in Congress. Or in playground terms: taking your ball and going home,” David Rogers writes for POLITICO. “Fully seven of the 62 are current or former House committee chairmen; two more have appropriations bills of their own to manage on the floor. Yet all turned their backs on Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), left begging for 20 votes just to get to conference with the Senate. Looking back, it was a remarkable moment not just for the tone-deaf judgment of the House GOP leadership but because the Republicans voting ‘no’ had gotten their way so often in the debate. …

-- “Much will be written now about how the defeat spells the end of the old Bob Dole-George McGovern, rural-urban, farm-food stamp coalition in Congress. As agriculture has gotten more consolidated and food stamps more costly in a bad economy and post-welfare reform world, those strains are very real. But the collapse also said something bigger about the House and the seeming loss of any collective capacity to legislate as an organic whole. Ignored by the national press and the White House, the farm bill truly made the front pages last week only because it failed. But the bill remains one of the great untold political stories of this Congress, not just for the regional intrigue but the opportunity it offers to reshape a historic safety net — important to food and the land, the poor and a vital piece of the American economy.” http://politi.co/11Ux2zb

FRIDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – There were actually at least three correct answers to the question: California State Library Commissioner Jane Lowenthal was first to answer that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has more than 100,000 followers on Twitter but does not hold a party leadership position and has not run for president or vice president before. Vivian Myrtetus answered Marco Rubio, who has more than 404,000 followers, while Tim Coffey answered Sen. Rand Paul, who has nearly 218,000 followers.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Thomas Crosson has today’s question: The House recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which represents a rare beacon of bipartisanship in Washington. How many years in a row have both the House and Senate passed a NDAA? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

**A message from POWERJOBS: Tap into the power of POWERJOBS for the newest job opportunities in the Washington area from the area’s top employers, including AARP, Fairfax County Government, Hickory Ground Solutions and Accenture. Powered by names you trust - POLITICO, WTOP, WJLA/ABC-TV, NewsChannel 8 and Federal News Radio- POWERJOBS is the ultimate career site with more than 2 million job searches and nearly 17,000 applications submitted this year so far. Connect through Facebook or LinkedIn, search jobs by industry and set up job-specific email alerts using POWERJobs.com, the site for Washington’s top talent.**